Fords New Monster

[Silver-toy]

Hey all not sure if anyone else has seen this but check out "Car and Driver" for June...

2003 Ford Mustang Cobra

390bhp @ 6000rpm
390 lb-ft @ 3500rpm
Redline 6500rpm

Test Results
0-60: 4.5
0-100: 10.4
1/4mile time: 12.9 @ 111mph

These are just a few stats..oh and its a 6speed

I am sorry but I am going to have to hand it to Ford for 2003 Cobra... Very well done.

Josh

[GTS LAID]

yes well done... i suppose all the Ford people deserve it after for years paying more on gas per month than they do for their cars.

[Silver-toy]

well this is true..

EPA city 16mpg
EPA highway 23mpg
C/D observed 13mpg <--I would tend to think anyone buying this car would get this one more often haha

[BillWS6Formula]

I don't think folks buying those are going to lose sleep at night worrying about gas mileage LOL! It's a porky beast though, over 3700 lbs.

[t2000gts]

3700? wtf...are the other mustangs with that chassis that heavy...why's it so heavy.

american manufacturers can make great engines, and great cars sometimes. but they completely suck at weight...then again, the entire idea is 'bigger, faster' so they manage to work around that anyway :)

[Humza]

i test drove a 99 cobra before. It has that crooked shifter, steering wheel is a b!tch to turn, and the clutch weighs a ton. It also doesn't "feel" as quick as the celi because of the weight. It just goes fast in a straight line as most muscle cars do.

[2000 XYR]

The 2003 Cobra blows the doors off the 99 Cobra though.
If it doesn't feel fast than a Celica then you have no feeling. :D

[CBlue GT-S]

I laugh at people who still buy Ford. I don't care if that thing had 700 horse power it still is just a ford mustang. I'll take a Corvette over it any day of the week. They hold no value. And second look at ford the Focus alone has had 8 yes 8 recalls on it, my friend had a Explorer you couldn't keep that thing on the road always in the shop then he bought a 2000 Mustang GT and the Engine went. Oh and lets not forget all those people dying in Ford Explorers with Firestones. Ford still sucks. I told my friend if I ever got interested in buying one to shoot me on the spot. I'll keep my Celica at least i won't die in it.

[J3adSeed]

are you actually saying a corvette is more reliable than a mustang. i'd say they're the same. i thought the corvette was rated the worst in reliability. consumer reports had it pretty bad i know that.

[Vroom_Vroom]

hey CBLUE your about to eat your words man..just wait till dave gets here ..

anyone for some :popcorn:

[BillWS6Formula]

t2000gts, weight is just a fact of life with most high performance rwd sports/GT cars, although 3700 is pushing the envelope a bit. With the new Cobra a lot of the extra weight is because of the new iron block (instead of aluminum) 5.4, supercharger, and the heavier (but pretty well bullet proof) T-56 transmission. But again, to pack all the performance and "creature comforts " ie power everthing, A/C, etc and still have gobs of power, the pounds are going to add up. F-bodies like mine are in the 3400-3500 lb range, Vettes are over 3000...even the Supra TT I believe was in that same 3400lb ball park. Hell the new Lambo Muciewhatchamacallit it is right around 4000lbs! :)

CBlue GT-S, don't believe all the hype man. Why are Mustangs popular? Well it's hard to pick ANY new car sold today that has as much history, loyalty, aftermarket support, bang for the buck, and fan club networking. There are literally untold numbers of support organization/clubs both at the local and national level, competition series' (same thing), and event/shows that Mustang owners can partake in. And that goes right down to the grass roots level. When I owned my '97 GT, I RARELY passed another Stang on the road who didn't stick out his hand and give a wave or a thumbs up - it's just that kind of car that can give owners a lot of opportunities to enjoy owning one.

[Silver-toy]

I have to agree with Bill on all that. This car is heavy but it can still move its junk around. haha. As for its reliability factor, Ford has been getting better it this department. Some of reliability has to be put on the driver as well. If you drive cars hard, I don't car what kind you get, something is bound to show up and start being a problem.......and that is what warranties are for! Mahahahaha

Josh

[Silver-toy]

Oh one more thing I thought was rather funny in the article was they put "The Whining sound from the Supercharger" In the Cons column.

I dont know about you, but you ask most people out there what they think about the sound of a Supercharger on V8 sounds like and they will tell you "Heaven".

Josh

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by CBlue GT-S
I laugh at people who still buy Ford. I don't care if that thing had 700 horse power it still is just a ford mustang. I'll take a Corvette over it any day of the week. They hold no value. And second look at ford the Focus alone has had 8 yes 8 recalls on it, my friend had a Explorer you couldn't keep that thing on the road always in the shop then he bought a 2000 Mustang GT and the Engine went. Oh and lets not forget all those people dying in Ford Explorers with Firestones. Ford still sucks. I told my friend if I ever got interested in buying one to shoot me on the spot. I'll keep my Celica at least i won't die in it.

i laugh at people like you.

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by Humza
i test drove a 99 cobra before. It has that crooked shifter, steering wheel is a b!tch to turn, and the clutch weighs a ton. It also doesn't "feel" as quick as the celi because of the weight. It just goes fast in a straight line as most muscle cars do.

clutch weighs a ton because its connected to a 4.6 V8 and not a 1.8 liter.

doesnt feel as quick? it doesn't sound to me like you actually drove one, other than sat in one at a dealership. yeah, steering wheels are generally hard to turn when teh cars off and parked.

*sigh* i got an idea, before saying it only goes fast in a straight line, try driving one with someone behind the wheel who atually knows what hes talking about and doing. ill be glad to show you handling of the mustang through some cones if you ever venture down here.

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by t2000gts
3700? wtf...are the other mustangs with that chassis that heavy...why's it so heavy.

american manufacturers can make great engines, and great cars sometimes. but they completely suck at weight...then again, the entire idea is 'bigger, faster' so they manage to work around that anyway :)

car's actual weight is 3680, but I agree its on the heavy side, and that has a bunch of the road racers a tad bit upset. all the reports im seeing though is that this is the best handling mustang ever, though..keep in mind cars like the Viper aren't on Slim Fast themselves.

Bill-- its an iron 4.6

most of the weight is from the iron block up front with its forged internals(hello 15psi) the T-56 6 speed, and the Cobra R IRS out back. ford put in an aluminum flywheel, and driveshaft to cut down on the T-56's 18% parasitic loss, and weight too.

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by BillWS6Formula
t2000gts, weight is just a fact of life with most high performance rwd sports/GT cars, although 3700 is pushing the envelope a bit. With the new Cobra a lot of the extra weight is because of the new iron block (instead of aluminum) 5.4, supercharger, and the heavier (but pretty well bullet proof) T-56 transmission. But again, to pack all the performance and "creature comforts " ie power everthing, A/C, etc and still have gobs of power, the pounds are going to add up. F-bodies like mine are in the 3400-3500 lb range, Vettes are over 3000...even the Supra TT I believe was in that same 3400lb ball park. Hell the new Lambo Muciewhatchamacallit it is right around 4000lbs! :)

CBlue GT-S, don't believe all the hype man. Why are Mustangs popular? Well it's hard to pick ANY new car sold today that has as much history, loyalty, aftermarket support, bang for the buck, and fan club networking. There are literally untold numbers of support organization/clubs both at the local and national level, competition series' (same thing), and event/shows that Mustang owners can partake in. And that goes right down to the grass roots level. When I owned my '97 GT, I RARELY passed another Stang on the road who didn't stick out his hand and give a wave or a thumbs up - it's just that kind of car that can give owners a lot of opportunities to enjoy owning one.

Exactly...well said :)

[BillWS6Formula]

4.6 it is...typo! :)

[Vroom_Vroom]

told ya..

[analogvoid]

Although I have a 2002 6-spd GT-S being shipped to me,
I'm going to say to anyone who thinks the celica is faster
than a 2003 mustang cobra: It's not, and for the same
amount of money you put into your celica... example
($200 for a CAI).... you can have alot more power gains
out of a 4.6L engine.. It's just physics. More fuel/air
makes more power, bigger engine holds more fuel/air,
bigger engine has more power.. it can't be argued.

[2000 XYR]

Bill must have been thinking of mine. 5.4 + s/c :D

Silver-toy -- I agree about the whine. I love the mixture of the V8 exhaust rumble and the s/c whine.

http://2000xyr.freeyellow.com/smilies/joy.gif http://2000xyr.freeyellow.com/smilies/joy.gif http://2000xyr.freeyellow.com/smilies/joy.gif

[SlasherX]

Originally posted by analogvoid
Although I have a 2002 6-spd GT-S being shipped to me,
I'm going to say to anyone who thinks the celica is faster
than a 2003 mustang cobra: It's not, and for the same
amount of money you put into your celica... example
($200 for a CAI).... you can have alot more power gains
out of a 4.6L engine.. It's just physics. More fuel/air
makes more power, bigger engine holds more fuel/air,
bigger engine has more power.. it can't be argued.

i don't think anyone here is that stupid to think that their celica can run with one, but i do think some people here are stupid enough to try to validate their purchase of a car not designed for 1/4th racing through ricer BS.

[Brian00GTS]

Originally posted by 2000 XYR
The 2003 Cobra blows the doors off the 99 Cobra though.
If it doesn't feel fast than a Celica then you have no feeling. :D

I know I test drove the 2001 Cobra before I decided on my Celica, and although I'm too lazy too look up the hp on the Cobra, it was a beast! I was very impressed with the acceleration. You can tell the weight difference between the two majorly, and the Mustang's suspension feels like it is rather muted, but I must agree, that is ONE FAST CAR :werd:

[WillyK]

Originally posted by CBlue GT-S
I'll take a Corvette over it any day of the week. They hold no value.

Vette's don't seem to hold value that well either. I have seen several going for well under 20K. We are talking the newer body style, not the ZR1 or whatever it was.

[racinjason]

If you ever bought one of the first year C5 vettes. You'd know they were in the shop for more recalls than gas station visits. They had ALL kinds of bugs. As did the 99 Cobras etc. All new model cars, focus, civic, Celica, Mustang, Escape, etc. usually have a decent number of problems etc. TSB's, Recalls. Number of recorded car issues with dealers are in the 10-15 range per 100 for many japanese imports. With Toyota being the best. Most Domestics range between 20-25 per 100. Many Euro cars get the 20-25 range per 100 as well depending on the company. These actually aren't too bad. These figures are complete God sends compared to cars of the past. Foreign and Domestic.

As for Cobra fast feeling compared to the Celica. There absolutely is no comparison. I almost bought a 97 Cobra back before my Celica in 99. That thing feels twice as fast as the Celica because of the torque! The car was lightly modded and scared the hell out of me. Smashing second gear made the car respond by lifting its ass end side ways before it grabbed and took off. It was the same feeling I get with my Celica after a twistie mountain run. It did feel like I was sitting in a truck, and the setup inside was definately brutish in design. But that's what it's about. The Celica is setup more as sports car feeling. But there is definately no comparison in the speed cat.